Valve for water-tanks.



G. W. ARNDT. VALVE FOR WATER TANKS. APPLICATION FILED JAN.17, 1912.

1,093,165. Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

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CHARLES W. ARNDT, OF I-IUTCHINSON, KANSAS.

VALVE FOR WATER-TANKS.

messes.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, CHARLES WV. Armor, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hutchinson, in the county of Reno and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valves for Water- Tanks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to valves of the type particularly adapted for use in water tanks of the kind generally employed on railways for supplying water to an engine tender along the road.

The valves now employed are to a great extent very unsatisfactory and give considerable trouble on account of their constructien being fragile and unsuited to freezing weather. In nearly every instance, the valve levers and mechanism for operating the valve are exposed in some way to the water within the tank, so that when the same is frozen the mechanism is entirely inoperative, and it becomes necessary for the firemen to either break the ice away from the valve or thaw the same out, which consumes considerable time. Even under moderate temperatures some valves are so constructed that the water pressure exerted upon them is so great that it is very difficult to open the valve through the usual means accessible to the fireman.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate as much as possible the troublesome features above pointed out, and provide avalve whose cost of maintenance is very economical, and which will not be sub ject to inoperativeness through freezing temperature.

To this end the invent-ion contemplates a construction of valve parts which provide ample surface whereby the pressure of escaping water aids the opening of the valve; and also the placing of the levers, which operate the valve proper, so that the only time they are exposed to the water is when the engine is being filled. That is to say, all of the valve operating mechanism is dry when not in use, and hence cannot become frozen in frigid temperatures.

lVith the above and other objects in view which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, here'- inafter described in detail and pointed out in the appended claims.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 17, 1913.

Patented Apr. ME, 191%.. Serial No. 742,725.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of a water tank showing the valve and valve parts in section. Fig. 2 is a deta1l vertical section of the valve.

S milar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

With special reference to the details shown in the accompanying drawings, T designates a portion of a water tank which has atlixed to the outside thereof a bracket 1 which forms a hanger for a pulley 2. The lower part of the tank is provided with the outlet pipe 3 a portion of which projects outside of the tank and forms a stub spout l which is of smaller diameter than the telescoping end'of the main discharge spout 5. In order that the discharge spout 5 may be swung into a position which will not interfere with the passing of trains the stub spout I has aflixed thereto a hinged bracket 6 which is also connected to the telescoping end of the discharge spent 5. It will be observed that the discharge spout 5 can be swung into a substantially vertical position because of the hinged bracket 6 and be held in place by means of a weighted chain 7 which has one end connected to the spout near its discharge end and passes over the pulley 2, and has its other end fastened to the side of the tank. The weights 7* upon the chain 7 form a counter balance for the discharge pipe, and thereby greatly facilitate the handling thereof.

The outlet pipe 3 is provided at the end opposite the stub spout 4 with an annular flange 8. The stub spout is further provided on its upper part with the fulcrum housing 9 which has in the top thereof an opening 10 to admit of the swinging of the valve operating lever 11 which is fulcrumed therein. In order that the opening 10 will be closed at any position of the lever 11, a water tight shoe 12 is fitted to the lever so that the same is movable therewith and is pressed onto the head of the fulcrum housing 9 by means of a spring 13.

The outlet valve proper is designated in its entirety by the letter V, and comprises generally a valve chamber C and a pipe extension D at right angles to the casing which forms the said chamber C. The end of the pipe extension D is provided with proper seating of the valves upon bein tion 21 of the valve casing.

annular flange 1a which is adapted to abut against the annular flange 8 of the outlet pipe 3 and be secured thereto by suitable fastening means. However, even though the valve proper is supported by its connection within the outlet pipe 3, the same is further supported by the standard S, to take care of the large strain imposed upon the valve when discharging water. The interior of the pipe extension D is provided with a pendent hanger 15 to which is pivoted the bell crank lever 16, one arm of which is connected to the valve operating lever llby means of the link 17, and the other arm of which has on its end means for rotatably supporting an interiorly threaded knob 18.

The valve casing 19 which forms the chamber G is open at both ends and has at its top an annular outwardly projecting flange 20, and is provided at the bottom with the inturned upstanding flange portion 21, the top of which forms the valve seat 21. The interior of the valve chamber is accessible for cleaning, repairs or adjusting the valve heads by means of a hand hole 2:2 which is normally covered by a. removable plug 23.

The flange 20 of the casing 19 is provided on its upper surface with a rubber gasket 26L which has the flattened portion 2% and is held in place by suitable fastening means preferably a metallic ring 25, which is bolted or otherwise secured to the flange 20. The gasket 24 forms a seat for the upper valve head 26, which latter has a swiveled connection 26 with a threaded valve stem 27 which is threaded through the crank adjusting knob 18 on one arm of the bell crank lever 16, and also through the lower valve head 28. A portion of the stem 27 which projects through and beyond the said head 28 is slidable in a guide bracket 29 which is a part of the valve casing 19 and insures the closed. The valve head 28, unlike the valv head '26, is provided on its underside with asuitable gasket 30 which rests upon the upper surface 21 of the inturned flange por- In connection with the valve heads 26 and 28 which are mounted upon the same stem 27, it will be observed that the upper valve head 26 is of larger diameter than the lower valve head 28 and thus permits a greater amount of water to pass through the top opening of the valve casing. The lower valve head is caused to lift under the upward pressure of the wateiyrushing in the bottom opening of the valve casing, and pressing against the underside of the said valve. Thus when the discharge pipe 5 is pulled down so that it connects with the stub spout 4, the chain 5 connecting the discharge pipe and the valve operating lever 11, is brought within reach of the fireman on the engine and he can initially pull both of the valve heads from their seats. After they are unseated, the pressure of the water running from the tank on the lower valve head 28 will to an extent balance the pressure exerted upon the upper valves and thereby make the holding open of the entire valve very easy. However, when the pull on the chain 5 is released in the slightest degree, the lever 11 is pulled back to its normal position by the water pressure upon the valve heads. Ofcourse, the greater pressure of the water remaining in the tank will push the valvesto their seats and cut off the flow of water.

The valve chamber C of the valve 13 is in communioa tion with the outer atmosphere by means of the air vent 31, which reduces some of the pressure upon the valve heads when they are unseated, and also permits water remaining in the valve chamber, after the valve is closed, to run out, leaving the valve operating mechanism dry. 7 7

From the foregoing description it is believed that the structure and operation of the device is entirely clear, and it is obvious that the onlytime that the valve operating mechanism is exposed to water, is when the tank is discharging water to an engine. Inimediately upon the chain 5 being released by the fireman, the valves become automatically seated, the water supply cut off, and the valve operating lever 11 drawn back to its normal position, thus rendering the mechanism ready for the next operation.

I claim:

1. A. valve attachment for water supply tanks including in combination with the tank, an outlet pipe arranged to project into the interior of the tank and having an exterior stub portion, a valve casing open at both ends secured to the inner end of the said outlet pipe, valve heads arranged on a tanks including in combination With the tank, an outlet pipe arranged to project into the interior of the'tank and having anexteriorly projecting stub" portion, a valve casing having an oflset neck attached to the inner end of the said outlet pipe and provided with an internal valve seat at its lower end and an external valve seat at its upper end,rvalve heads adapted to seat on said valve seats, a valve stem connecting said valve heads, a valve lifting leverp'ivoted in said valve casing and adjustably connected to said valve stem, a lever'pivoted in the exterior stub portion of the outlet pipe, and a link arranged within said outlet pipe connected with the last mentioned lever and said valve lifting lever.

3. A valve attachment for water supply tanks including in combination with the tank, an outlet pipe arranged to project into the interior of the tank and having an exteriorly projecting stub portion, a valve casing having inner and outer valve seats and provided with an ofiset neck secured to the inner end of said outlet pipe, valve heads for the said valve seats arranged on a common valve stem, valve operating means located within said offset neck and said outlet pipe and connecting with the valve stem for lifting said valve heads, and manually controlled means exterior of the tank for actuating the valve operating means.

l. A valve attachment for water supply tanks including in combination with the tank, an outlet pipe provided at its inner end with a valve, said valve comprising an open ended valve casing having an otl'set pipe extension, a valve stem operable in the valve casing, valve seats formed at the upper and lower openings of the valve casing,

V a pair of valve heads adapted to register with the said valve seats to close the valve, the lower one of which is adjustably mounted on the valve stem, and one of said valve heads being of greater diameter than the other, valve operating means suspended from said oflset pipe extension and adjustably connected with the valve stems between the valve heads, and means for actuating the valve operating means.

5. A valve attachment for water supply tanks including in combination with the tank, an outlet pipe having a valve casing at its inner end, said valve casing having a flanged pipe extension and being open at both ends, a flanged valve seat on the top of the said valve casing, an inturned and upwardly projecting portion forming a lower valve seat, a threaded valve stem guided in the valve casing, an upper valve head having a swiveled connection with the valve stem, a lower valve head having an adjustable connection With the said valve stem, a bell crank lever pivotally suspended in the flanged pipe extension, and having an adjustable connection with the valve stem, a valve operating lever located exterior of the tank, a link in said outlet pipe connecting the said valve operating lever and the bell crank, and means for actuating the valve operating lever.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES W. ARNDT. l Vitnesses M. E. WAY, H. GEIGOLEED.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I C. 

